Streak Begins? (Heliskier Update)
Trainer Bernell Rhone was asked about a horse he handled last year named Gold Brew, the first horse in his career to win six consecutive races. “I’ve stopped some winning streaks,” Rhone quipped Saturday afternoon, “but, yes, that was the first horse to win that many in a row for me.” Gold Brew was back […]
14,455 Enjoy Father’s Day Card
There is nothing like horse racing for destroying a person’s spirit one instant and then restoring it a few minutes later. These are the vicissitudes of a sport that can present more ups and downs, more highs and lows, than the Wild thing at Valley Fair. You can be a dejected loser one moment and an […]
Brooks Fields Stakes on Tap
When you walk into Churchill Downs the history of its most famous race is displayed along the upper reaches of the grandstand outside the paddock, one Kentucky Derby winner after another, starting with Aristides in 1875. Thoroughbred racing is empty without its history, without the stories of its great horses, sires and broodmares, jockeys, trainers […]
Buck Night is Back
Buck hot dogs, soft drinks, admission and programs returned Thursday night and so, too, did good weather and the fans. For that matter, so did a horse named Supreme Ghost. The first buck night of the meet by almost any measuring stick was a rousing success. Let’s start with the turnout. A crowd of 7,196 […]
Heliskier Unbeaten Streak Hits 7
The sheen in his brown coat accents his muscular frame, and he stands out immediately from other horses around him. The unbeaten son of Appealing Skier truly is something to behold. There is not another horse on the grounds in this four-year-old gelding’s class. He is a man among boys, a giant among Lilliputians, a horse […]
Heliskier Returns Saturday
Just how good is Heliskier? We could find out in Saturday’s seventh race, the $50,000 10,000 Lakes Stakes, perhaps his toughest test ever. Heliskier is trained by Canterbury’s perennial leading conditioner Mac Robertson. As a two year old, Heliskier broke his maiden in hand and galloped on the Northern Lights Futurity field, winning by 10 […]
New Attendance Record Set and Handle Up 25%
Just like that it was over. A horse named Vini Vidi Vinci won the 11th race on Monday, bringing the 2012 live racing season to a close. The name is a corruption of that note of humility in Latin from Julius Cesar, who proclaimed that “I came, I saw, I conquered.” Vini, Vidi Vinci did, […]
Oaks and Derby Showcase Superstars
The horses who won these races in years past are part of a pantheon of Minnesota colts and fillies whose names still resonate with the state’s long-time racing fans. Among the fillies there was Princess Elaine, Northbound Pride, Argenti and Glitter Star, the latter of which will join the Canterbury Park Hall of Fame on […]
Heliskier Headlines $65,000 Minnesota Derby
Heliskier, an undefeated Minnesota-bred 3-year-old gelding, headlines the $65,000 Minnesota Derby Saturday at Canterbury Park. Named Canterbury’s Champion Two-Year-Old in 2011, Heliskier won the $55,000 Northern Lights Futurity last year and this summer has dominated in all three starts including the $50,000 Victor S. Myers Stakes and the $35,000 MTA Stallion Laddie (video below). [youtube […]
Heliskier Does it Again… Just as Impressively
There are numerous sorts of intoxicating, maybe even medicinal qualities attached to the phenomenon of winning. For Marlene Colvin, it might have meant a good night’s sleep Sunday night. For Cam Casby, it might have provided the perfect remedy for the summer cold she’s battling. Clearly, winning as he did polished the already shiny image […]
